Caterina II

Caterina II, also known as Catherine the Great, was Empress of Russia from 1762 until her death in 1796. A significant figure of the Enlightenment, she sought to modernize Russia and expanded its territory considerably, adding over 520,000 square kilometers to the empire. Despite her initial support for Enlightenment ideals and correspondence with philosophers like Voltaire and Diderot, her reign saw an increase in serfdom and violent suppression of revolts, notably the one led by Pugachev. Caterina's complex legacy reflects both her ambitious reforms and the challenges of governing a vast and diverse empire.